Malaysia: Polygamy is "Beautiful"

Ever wondered why polygamy has such a bad image? Well, its the bad image that’s the problem. Who would object to the practice? After all, its in the Koran, Â and since the prophet of Islam did it, its beautiful. A new club has the noble aim to make it more beautiful. Â And as long as the Chinese business community and the Indian dhimmies are paying the jiziya with willing submission, what could go wrong?

Here come the brides: Polygamy club woos Malaysia

RAWANG, Malaysia – When she was practicing law, Kartini Maarof once went beyond the call of duty for her divorce client.

She arranged for Rohaya Mohamad, a mother of seven, to be married again , to Kartini’s own husband.

The spouse they have shared for a decade is 43-year-old Ikramullah Ashaari, who has four wives and 17 children. His 72-year-old father has 38 offspring from five marriages, without ever having flouted Islam’s prescribed limit of four wives at a time.

In this Sept 2, 2009 photo, polygamist Mohamamd Ikramullah Ashaari is seen in his home with wives Kartini, left, and Junaidah, second from left in white, and family in Sepang, south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Polygamy is legal for Muslims in Malaysia, though not widespread. The Ashaari clan believes it should be. Last month, the sprawling family launched a Polygamy Club that seeks to promote plural marriages for what it says are noble aims, such as helping single mothers, prostitutes and older women find husbands.

Polygamy is legal for Muslims in Malaysia, though not widespread. The Ashaari clan believes it should be. Last month it launched a “Polygamy Club” that claims the noble aim of helping single mothers, reformed prostitutes and women who feel they are past the marrying age.

“We want to change the way people perceive polygamy, so that it will be seen as something beautiful instead of something disgusting,” said Hatijah Aam, the founder of the club. She is the fourth wife of Ikramullah’s father, Ashaari Muhammad.

Polygamy may seem out of place in an Asian democracy proud of its skyscrapers, high-tech skills and go-getter economy. But it retains a foothold in this Muslim-majority country of 27 million where piety is deeply embedded and Muslims can be arrested for drinking alcohol or consorting with the opposite sex unless a couple is married.

The government also polices religious practice. Ashaari, the family patriarch, used to head an Islamic sect that was banned in 1994 as heretical because it projected Ashaari as an absolver of sinners.

Most of the Polygamy Club members belonged to the sect, and there’s nothing illegal about how they live now, so long as they’re Muslims. For the one-third of the population that isn’t Muslim, polygamy is unlawful.

The practice used to be more common but has dwindled to an estimated 2 percent of all Muslim marriages as women have become freer and careers have opened up for them.

The polygamists point out that the Prophet Muhammad is thought to have married about a dozen women in his lifetime, including widows in need of protection.

“Some people treat polygamy as a laughing matter because they do not fully comprehend it,” says Ikramullah, a jovial businessman and son of his father’s first wife. “But a community that practices it would know that it is not bizarre. In fact, you would be teased if you were a man with only one wife.”

The club claims to number 300 husbands and 700 wives. It hopes to cultivate examples of happy households to counter women’s rights activists who say some spouses and children suffer in polygamous marriages. Club members say polygamy deters adultery and would improve the marriage prospects of ex-prostitutes if more men were available to marry them.

But Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Muslim female minister in charge of family policy, says polygamy “is not a culture that is encouraged in our society.”

Sisters in Islam, an advocacy group campaigning against polygamy, says it isn’t good for women.

“If people choose to be monogamous, there are enough men for every woman,” it said in a statement to The Associated Press.

One opponent of polygamy is a 42-year-old business executive who asked to be identified only as Sharifah. She said she threatened to divorce her husband of nearly 15 years after he told her last year that he had fallen in love with a divorced mother of three, felt she needed help, and wanted to marry her.

“I felt like my fairy tale had ended,” Sharifah said. “He was my soul mate. … I couldn’t believe it was happening. Then I started to scream at him.”

She said some people told her that agreeing to a second wife would secure her place in heaven. But Sharifah, the breadwinner for her two children and jobless husband, refused to give in. The couple underwent marriage counseling and Sharifah’s husband has promised not to marry the other woman.

“Women have to make a stand. We are getting more progressive. We know our rights,” she said. “I will not enter into a polygamous marriage. I know I deserve better.”

Kartini, 41, says polygamy has served her well; while she was busy arguing court cases, her husband’s first wife would cook, clean and look after the children.

“The wives can complement each other,” she said. “Of course, you miss your husband and there are natural feelings of competition and jealousy at first. But after a while, you try to become friends and you learn that you can share your problems with each other.”

The club says most of its husbands keep each spouse in a home of her own unless the women agree to live under one roof. Many husbands rotate their days among households.

The tight-knit family is concentrated in Rawang, a town outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s largest city. They gather for religious holidays and other festivities, such as a recent “Family Day” where they performed songs for each other and picnicked. They mingle easily in public, chatting and joking like any ordinary family.

The club is funded by the family’s grocery stores, restaurants and other businesses. It plans to offer matchmaking, wedding planning and marriage counseling.

Hatijah, who became the patriarch’s fourth wife in 1982, used to be skeptical of polygamy, and agreed to the marriage because she worried that at 27, she was getting too old to find a husband.

Now 54 and a mother of eight, she says: “What is wrong with sharing a husband? I’ve been doing so for nearly 30 years.”

24 thoughts on “Malaysia: Polygamy is "Beautiful"”

â€œWe want to change the way people perceive polygamy, so that it will be seen as something beautiful instead of something disgusting,â€

How about while we’re at it, changing the way people perceive rape,paedophilia, mass murder and torture. If they are seen as something beautiful, then rapists and paedophiles will be admired not reviled.

Imprisoning asylum seekers is really , really beautiful..making them do hard labour is even better.
I read an interesting article awhile ago which highlighted the link between polygamy and paedophilia..there is just not enough women for men to have four or more wives so they keep getting younger and younger girls. In Malaysia, when the first wife gets to a certain age , its off the Indonesia for the seventeen year old. Converts in Singapore do the same..Indonesia is a ready source of brides.
Polygamy is on the agenda in most western countries because of the marriage between the socialists and the muslims..muslims are the reds new BEST friends. You may not know this is happening in your country but I am sure it is..Our previous Prime Minister was about to legalize polygamy just before she was voted out.

Taking more than one wife was not according to the Book (Bible);
“every man should have his own wife”. but since many muslims
suffer of sexual incontinence they think it’s o.k. but it is deva-
luation of women and against equality and unpractical and a self-
inflicted headache.

umm.. the picture in the Jewish “Old Testament” and the “Christian New TEstament” is of God being married to His People as a man is married to his BRIDE not brideS.. no where can you find any reference to God’s endorsement of polygamy.. and there are many reference to marriage being representative of Jesus’ love for His People, His BRIDE.. in God’s eyes.. only monogamous marriage is legitimate and HOLY.. this is what His Word teaches us!!!

Why is the West tolerating â€“ even affirming â€“ the â€œseparate and unequalâ€ reality of Shariah Islamic law?

Why is Great Britain tolerating â€“ even affirming â€“ shariah law and shariah courts? Why is Europe tolerating â€“ even affirming â€“ Muslim polygamy? Why has France allowed itself to come to a place in time where over 750 Muslim enclaves are acknowledged as â€œno go zonesâ€ for non-Muslims?

And what will it take for American leaders in government, media, academia and business to recognize that the same spirit of oppression, intolerance, inequality, and tyranny that constituted South African apartheid also constitutes Shariah Islamic law?

It is hot in Brussels. Ramadan has begun. The faithful in the predominantly Muslim borough of Molenbeek are not allowed to eat or drink from sunrise until sunset. Non-Muslim policemen, patrolling the streets of Molenbeek in their sweltering cars, are not allowed to eat or drink either. As every year during Ramadan, that they have been told by their superior, Philippe Moureaux, the Socialist mayor of Molenbeek, they have to respect Muslim sensitivities and not to â€œprovokeâ€ Muslims by violating Islamic Ramadan restrictions in public. In effect, Islamic or Sharia law is already applied – for everyone – in the Muslim areas of Brussels.

Barely two miles from Molenbeek lies Brusselsâ€™ European district. One of its huge glass and concrete buildings is the European Parliament where the elected representatives from the 27 members states of the European Union (EU) convene. The 736 MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) have just returned from their summer break. They are mostly unaware of life in Molenbeek. Most of them never go to that part of the city. It is probably a sensible decision, because Molenbeek is known to be unsafe for non-Muslims. Nevertheless, it is a shame that Europeâ€™s politicians are unaware of day-to-day life just around the corner. It means that most of the 736 MEPs, who make up the second largest democratically elected assembly in the world (after India), do not know what life really is like in an ever growing section of Europeâ€™s urban areas. A walking tour of Molenbeek should be compulsory for every MEP.

Some friends in Brussels organize one-hour trips through Molenbeek. They go in an inconspicuous car, driven by a local who knows the escape routes, and with a bodyguard. Otherwise the risk would be too great. These trips are called â€œsafaris.â€ Similar â€œEurabia Safarisâ€ are organized in other European cities. One of the highlights – though absolutely not the most dangerous one – of the safari in Rosengaard, the Muslim section of the Swedish city of MalmÃ¶, is a short stop, to give the visitor the opportunity to take a quick snapshot, in front of MalmÃ¶â€™s â€œJihadskÃ¶rkortsteoriâ€ (Jihad Driving School).

The Sharia areas of Europe are expanding rapidly across Western Europe. While currently still restricted to what the French officially call the ZUS (zones urbaines sensibles – sensitive urban areas) these areas are growing fast. Even today, eight million of the sixty million inhabitants of France already live in one of the countryâ€™s 751 ZUS.

The month of Ramadan is traditionally the most dangerous time of the year in Europeâ€™s sensitive areas. After sunset, the Ramadan ban on eating, drinking and engaging in sexual activities expires until the following sunrise. Ramadan is a period of nightly feasts for Muslims. Young Muslims are extremely touchy. These feasts easily spill over into nightly spasms of mayhem, vandalism, and violence. Europeâ€™s Ramadan riots often go on for days or weeks, during which hundreds of cars, shops and public buildings are set on fire.

In Muslim countries, such as Indonesia, the police step up patrols during Ramadan in order to crack down on illegal nightly activities. In Europe, however, the police have been given orders to adopt an extra-low profile not to â€œprovokeâ€ Muslim populations. In countries such as Britain, police officers have had to attend â€œRamadan awarenessâ€ courses. They have even been ordered, â€œfor reasons of religious sensitivity,â€ to avoid the execution of arrest warrants for Muslims during the month of Ramadan. During Ramadan, Europe is a tinder box.

As the Financial Times warned, however, at the time, â€œMr Larcherâ€™s comments could further fuel the debate and are likely to outrage Muslim and anti-racism groups.â€ Apparently, the French government was of the same opinion; it did not follow-up the words of Messrs. Larcher and Accoyer with a clampdown on polygamy. Having multiple wives is illegal under French law, but is allowed under Islamic Sharia law. It is estimated that 30,000 French Muslims have more than one wife and that more than 250,000 people live in polygamous families.

The tolerance of polygamous Sharia marriages is not restricted to France. In Norway, the Islamic Cultural Center Norway (ICCN), an immigrant organization subsidized by the Norwegian state, advises Muslims to take several wives because polygamy â€œis advantageous and ought to be practised where conditions lend themselves to such practice.â€ In Britain legislators adopt an equally liberal approach towards polygamy for Muslim men, allowing tax breaks for their second, third and fourth wives. Last February, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a Conservative Peer of Muslim origin, warned that the growing numbers of Muslim men marrying up to four wives in Britain, is becoming a threat to community cohesion. In the Netherlands, the authorities officially register polygamous marriages by non-Dutch citizens from Morocco, Egypt, Pakistan and other Muslim countries. The Amsterdam municipal authorities admitted that they have even registered Dutch citizens (of Islamic origin) with multiple wives. Belgium, too, recognizes polygamous Islamic marriages. Only last month, the welfare department of the city of Antwerp announced that 45 welfare recipients have two or more spouses.

Polygamous immigrants abuse the social security system by collecting state benefits for several wives. In France, residence is only granted to polygamous families if the two wives do not live at the same address, which means that these families claim double social housing, family allowances and other social benefits.

The recognition of polygamous marriages of Muslims in countries where polygamy used to be illegal – and still is illegal for non-Muslims – indicates that Sharia law is already accepted in these countries. They have implicitly accepted a system of â€œlegal apartheidâ€ with different legal systems for Muslims and non-Muslims. The decision to avoid arresting Muslims during Ramadan â€œfor reasons of religious sensitivity,â€ thereby treating Muslims and non-Muslims differently, confirms this existence of a dual legal system. It is difficult to see, however, how such a dual legal system can continue to exist on the same territory. Ultimately, one of the legal systems is likely to prevail. The decision of the Molenbeek mayor that non-Muslim police officers have to respect the Ramadan prescriptions indicates what the next step will be if Europeâ€™s authorities fail to impose the existing laws of the land on Islamic immigrants: the imposition of Sharia law on everyone, non-Muslims as well as Muslims. While Europeâ€™s Muslims hold their Ramadan, this is something worth pondering for Europeâ€™s non-Muslims.

Am looking to increase my rewards and those for my wives by finding a third wife to grace our household, insh’Allah. People who criticize polygamy really do not understand it and have approached this blessed solution for many problems from an extrememly biased position. Take a look at my website and contact me if interested, especially if you’re interested in the holy position as my wife and meet the requirements.

Dr. Omar,
People don’t have to understand polygamy; it is a loss of time, money
and effort, it only contributes to over-population, illness, envy, over-
spending and over-sexualization. whether you are mormon, hindu,
muslim or atheist; it is plain adultery! you are sinning against Yahweh
and put yourself in an unholy position and are only meeting the
requirements to be limited to this earthly existence for always.

I find it to be very rude to judge people on their beliefs by using your beliefs, “God says in the Bible..” Guess what? THEY AREN’T CHRISTIANS. THEY HAVE A DIFFERENT SET OF BELIEFS.

I can understand why someone would not want to be in a polygamous marriage. But I can also understand why somebody would.

And for people to compare it to rape, pedophilia? Sick! How extreme!
You guys make it seem like people are forced into polygamy! This is not something that’s not consensual. People do this all the time.

I think they should make the laws of polygamy a little bit more specific, if someone doesn’t want to be in a polygamous relationship, then they shouldn’t be in one, and if someone wants to, they should.

* I find it to be very rude to judge people on their beliefs by using your beliefs …

Tell it to allah and its false prophet, KLM. Both are very rude and judgmental (and murderous), as in: “Fight against such of those to whom the Scriptures were given as believe neither in [allah] nor the Last Day, who do not forbid what [allah and its false prophet] have forbidden, and do not embrace the [false gospel], until they pay [protection money] out of hand and are utterly subdued”. (sura 9:29)

allah and its false prophet make it seem like people are forced into islam and/or its protection racket! Maybe allah should make it specific that no-one should be forced to “revert” to islam, or to pay what is called “tribute” (protection money). Take it up with allah get back with its response 🙂

KLM
Some people have big trouble to relativate information.
the comment about adultery from the book (Bible) was to a muslim,
who is instructed in his book (quran) to consider ( the people) of the book (Bible), but won’t do it anyway.
It is extremely rude to impose your unbelief on believers, but it will happen anyway.
The problem many people have is; spiritual unconsciousness.
If you don’t have faith, no infilling of YHWH Ruach and not having
the gifts, not having the spiritual renewal and no spiritual deduction,
than how do you think you can judge spiritual things in your
natural state?
This is why you are so shocked how extreme and biased opinions are
one way or another; because you are not interested in the truth!

hey guys, the manner you are talking about polygamy is the evidence of the fact that you people are not even mature.first you should read the islamic principles about polygamy and its conditions,then you people will come to know about the real picture.in some cases the polygamy is not even allowed by islam while in other it is very important.do you people think that the western culture to sleep with other’s wives is the solution to every thing.you people have given birth to the high population of bastards instead.islam provides solutions for every thing in life in a good manner.

The conditions of having more than one partner under any circumstance or system are impractical.
if you think one can really treat 2-4 partners equally&proportional,
than your head should be examined asap.

i want to tell you all western bastords that do you know the meaning of polygamy.you bastords should read quran completely what exactly allah says.i will say some points as per our quran that you can marry one more till 4 wives subject to conditions you can give her complet rights, you can save any woman from doing wrong like prostitution, you can marry whos husband is dead, but you western bastords dont know anything, you want to sleep with othr woman and your friends wife, thats what u have in bible, but our quran doesnt say to sleep with woman who you are not married, how pure our quran is that we are allowed to marry to save sin. do you people know the meaning of marriage. you people sleep with woman and have kids without marrying her. is that whats written in your bible. you people should feel ashamed of what you write and what you do in life. your life is full of sin

Shut up aijaz – you know absolutely nothing, let alone how we live and what is in the bible. you are wrong in every one of your points, but you are an idiot and we thank you for showing the world how stupid islamists are!!!

dear all, If 1 wife is not enoughâ€¦heâ€™ll never ever be satisfied.
In my opinion, this behaviour is absolutely abnormal.
Only God can satisfy Him and this is not what God created man for.
God bless u.

I am a Christian.
Read the bible for your self…Jesus is the light of the world.
I tell u the truth and challenge you to find errors in the bible.
I am telling you this because Jesus Loves you and I love you too. The bible tells us so.

Hi,sheikyermami, I am Wenjing from ELLE magazine China. I plan to do a report about polygamy in Malaysia. Do you happen to know polygamy family who are willing to take interviews? Or could you please give me any help? Thanks a lot!!! Looking forward to your email.